Help with 5sfe timing Options

[skbradshaw]

98 Celica 5sfe manual 204,000 miles
I had an oil pump seal leak so I changed the timing belt, idler and tensioner pulleys, and water pump while I was in there. This is the second time I have changed the timing belt about 100,000 miles apart.

I had a problem with the tensioner and slipped the timing belt during reassembly. My motor does NOT have any kind of mark on the oil pump body to align with the crank gear mark, so I tried to use the mark on the harmonic balance and the plastic tab on the timing gear cover -- wouldn't start at all! After several attempts to get everything timed (at 3.5 hours per attempt since you can't test drive it without putting the motor mount back on, and you can't put the motor mount back on without putting the mount plate on), I went back to the old-school method of sticking a dowel rod in number 1 and rolling it up to TDC; aligned the cam with the seal-mark and put the belt on. Motor started right up and seemed OK so I finished the assembly and have been driving the car.

Problem:
The motor starts perfectly regardless of temperature;
I still get 29.5 to 30 MPG combined highway/city (more highway than city).

The motor has no "pop" or power in the upper rev band. I have more power when the motor is stone cold -- it almost seems "normal" when cold.
The motor goes really, really flat at or about 4000 RPM; It will still pull the higher RPM's but it does not not like to do so and has no power up there.
Compression is even at about 145-148 across all cylinders; squirting oil in the cylinders does not raise the compression. This seems low to me but is also an indication that I have the timing belt off a tooth or maybe the motor is just worn out.
I checked ignition timing today following procedures with the jumper attached in the test box; it is showing about 60 degrees BTDC!!! WTF!!!

I have to assume that I have the timing belt off a tooth and the advanced timing is what is making the motor go flat with no power. I can't reconcile that with the starting and MPG, however. Unless someone has another diagnostic for me to perform, I need to know which way do I move the cam in relation to the belt, clockwise or counter-clockwise? This is a minimum 3.5 hour job and I want to know a little more than I do right now before I start.

[skbradshaw]

I've already done all of those things: the stick method is how I did it last summer, the setting it with the harmonic balancer won't work if the balancer is bad, and I just did the crankshaft mark process two weeks ago. I rotated the motor multiple times to make sure the crank mark and camshaft mark were aligned properly. I did not want to have to take it apart again!

Yes, it is still acting up at the higher revs. If I hadn't been so meticulous with the timing belt, I would also assume that it was still a tooth off. Unless there is something wrong with either the mark on the oil pump housing/crank gear or the mark on the cam seal, this motor is timed properly. The timing is spot-on at 10 degrees BTDC with the jumper installed, and drops back exactly like it is supposed to do when the jumper is removed. The advance goes exactly where it is supposed to go when the motor is revved.

I am thinking it HAS to be a fuel delivery problem at this point. So, anyone have direct experience with a bad fuel pressure regulator?